1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fire suppression systems and, in particular, to a fire suppression system for protecting a structure from exterior fire threats.
2. Description of the Related Art
Structures, such as houses and office buildings, are sometimes faced with the threat of fire. Many structures are protected from internal fires through an interior fire suppression system, such as an interior sprinkler system. Structures are often left unprotected, however, from exterior fire threats such as radiant heat generated from a fire in a neighboring structure or burning embers that are blown onto the structure from a nearby fire.
When a residential neighborhood is faced with an impending fire, the resources available to local firefighters are limited, and homeowners often take additional measures to protect their houses and yards. For example, a homeowner may climb onto the roof of the house with an ordinary garden hose or lawn sprinkler to fight the impending fire. This approach is usually inadequate to protect the house and dangerous to the homeowner. A typical lawn sprinkler sprays water up into the air to cover a large section of the lawn. The windy conditions that often accompany a wildfire are likely to carry much of the water from a lawn sprinkler away from both the house and yard. A garden hose requires constant operation by the homeowner who must stay on the roof to direct the water towards various sections of house's exterior. While operating the garden hose, the homeowner will often face an impending fire, thick smoke and high winds, which could result in the homeowner being seriously injured or killed from the heat, smoke inhalation or a fall from the roof. In an emergency situation, the homeowner should be focused on personal safety. The use of a lawn sprinkler and garden hose requires constant operation and places the homeowner in greater danger.
Another impediment to the homeowner's use of a garden hose or lawn sprinkler is the reduced availability of water during emergency situations. In many geographical areas, the water pressure available to a structure is reduced during a fire emergency to provide emergency personnel with the water pressure they need to fight the fire.
Prior attempts to create an exterior fire suppression system have proven to be impractical. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,576,212, entitled “FIRE-SHIELDING DEVICE,” which issued on Apr. 27, 1971, describes a system in which four structures are installed adjacent to each of four exterior walls of a building. Each structure extends from the ground to a height above the roof of the building and includes a pipe that is connected to a water source at the bottom of the structure. At the top of each structure is a pair of sprinkler heads, one designed to spray water in a horizontal direction and another designed to spray water in a high arc to be spread over the roof by the wind.
Another approach is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,543, entitled “EXTERNAL FIRE PREVENTION SYSTEM,” which issued on Nov. 23, 1993. In this patent a water pipe is run up the side of the building and connected to another pipe that lies across the top of the roof. The second pipe includes a plurality of sprinklers that are spaced apart. A smoke detector is placed on the side of the building to detect an approaching fire and automatically activate and deactivate the external fire prevention system.
These and other prior art approaches suffer from many drawbacks that have prevented the widespread implementation of exterior fire suppression systems. For example, these systems are not aesthetically pleasing and once installed would be considered an eyesore in many communities. The pipes are exposed to the environment, which can lead to corrosion making the system not only unsightly, but also unreliable. In addition, many homes and other structures are designed with roofs having various shapes and slopes that are not contemplated by these limited systems. Many of the prior art systems also waste water by directing water up into the wind and do not account for the reduced water pressure that is available during a fire emergency.
In view of the drawbacks in the prior art, there is a need for an improved exterior fire suppression system. It would be desirable for the system to be aesthetically pleasing and capable of effectively saturating the structure's exterior using the water pressure that is available to the structure during a fire emergency. It would further be desirable for the system to be easy to operate without endangering the safety of the occupants and firefighters and inexpensive to install or retrofit into existing structures of various sizes and shapes.